She Was Instructed to Hide Inside a Locker

By Sheila Squillante —for my daughter, after Parkland     Dear teacher, my daughter is terrified Dear locker, yellow metal, filled Dear blood on the floor. It’s how things are. Dear locked door My daughter is supposed to++++++++++++++++++++++++hide inside. Dear bullets that tore through your +++++++++++organs. Dear dear. Dear boy holding shut the door and … More She Was Instructed to Hide Inside a Locker

CHEKHOV’S LAW

by Mary Volmer A performance poem for three actors. 1, 2, and 3 stand in a row, each holding behind her back a small scroll filled with names of people killed by gun violence. Very little movement except in their faces and voices, and in the eventual unfurling of the scrolls. The stage is bare. … More CHEKHOV’S LAW

Safe Enough

By Shanna Yetman Pop. Your son’s stroller hits a rock. It’s 3 p.m. It was 3 p.m. then, too. You’re late because you’re taking the long way. You’ve pushed your walk west from Glenwood, so you’ll happen upon Devon closer to the grocery store. But hadn’t he moved to this block two weeks ago? This … More Safe Enough

Scales

By Cintia Santana “How Does This Compare with Other Mass Shootings? —New York Times, June 12, 2016 On one hand, I hold the iPhone, all news made small, and on the other, your hand, by which I also mean the memory of your breath, tracing my face as morning opened around us. How do I … More Scales